Meet, Greet 'n' Seat

Neighborhood Forums

(Updated February '20)
As we’ve seen every four years, the system used in selecting a president begins with contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.  Why?  Well, as our system has evolved over the years, alternatives have been judged unworthy.  One perennially discussed alternative, for example, is to only have regional primaries, like the gargantuan set of contests to be held this March 3rd.  The objection, however, has always been that this skips the ‘getting-to-know-you’ politics found in small states.  

But if we want voters to meet candidates up close in live settings, and yet also want the first voters to be as diverse as our country (Iowa and New Hampshire being less racially diverse and more rural than average), perhaps we need to think outside the traditional box.  Maybe even take a step into the digital age.

We know Iowa and New Hampshire aren’t about to give up their first-in-the-nation status without a fight.  But what if, in the weeks leading up to the first primary season contests, there was a way for candidates to make pitches to a small, representative sample of all voters?  

We could easily do this.  We know how to select a random sample.  We have digital media that could transfer candidate videos to these voters.  And we certainly know how to conduct on-line polls.

Except, there are potential drawbacks to on-line activity.  Security, for one.

But what if the interaction was live --in a high school gym or hotel ballroom, where security could be guaranteed and the integrity of any polling unquestioned.  Here's one possible scenario I’m calling Meet, Greet ’n' Seat:

1. The Democratic Party would randomly select towns and urban neighborhoods (let’s say each such neighborhood would average 2,024 Democratic voters).  Overall, selected neighborhoods, combined, would be representative of the Democratic Party, whether examined by age, gender, race, religion, income, etc.

2. Democrats and Independents living in these select neighborhoods would then be sent tickets to a local Meet, Greet ’n Seat event, held in the nearest auditorium, hotel, or other large facility.  Follow up canvassing to encourage residents to attend, free dinner, and a token payment (Savings Bond) received following the event (to avoid a majority-rich problem), would ensure enough of a sample to make groups of events statistically significant.

3. Events would include as many candidates as wished to attend, or recorded videos from those who couldn't.  Events might begin with an informal meet-the-candidate half-hour as voters arrive, followed by a 90-minute or so session during which dinner is served, with candidates onstage.  Besides answering questions from the floor, candidates would be allowed to make several-minute speeches.  The evening would then conclude with voters asked to fill out a ballot that would list candidate names.  Age cohort, gender, race, religion, approximate income and party affiliation, would also be requested.  As they left the event, voters would turn in their ballot and receive their Savings Bond.  They could also sign up to receive additional party and candidate material.

The polling results thus obtained would be an on-going primary that awarded no delegates, but that allowed candidates to interact inexpensively with voters, hone their campaigning skills and message, and possibly rise to the status of serious contender, prior to the first contests taking place (a threshold for participation would be established by the Democratic Party).  By November, the field would be effectively winnowed.

Details

Q: Is There Really A Problem With Iowa, New Hampshire…?

A: Probably.  It's conceivable that a milquetoast candidate beholden to the more traditional party interests could do very well with a diet of Iowa and New Hampshire, perhaps doing well enough to be the odds-on favorite, even though more diverse/urban states had yet to vote.

Q: What’s wrong with on-line videos and polling?

A: Security—preventing votes from being hacked.  But also, there’s nothing like a live event to provide a true sense of what a candidate is like.  Otherwise, canned appearances can deceive.

Q: How many invitees would attend an average event?

A: With the Savings Bond, the excitement of meeting celebrities (including the would-be variety), plus dinner (though a buffet or BBQ is probably a more likely description), I’m guessing about 50%.

Q: What about those who couldn’t attend, because of job commitments, for example?

A: An alternate date or two for screening a recording of the event.  For the homebound, a copy of the recording, and mail-in ballots.

Q: Why add independent voters to the mix?  

A: If events are limited to Democratic voters, the act of attending announces one’s party affiliation, something that is likely to scare off all but the ‘base’.  Besides, these events would serve as excellent outreach.

Q: How would Independents be identified?

A: All voters, minus voters in any of the past two or three Republican primaries.  In states where party identification is not know, some other system, perhaps requests for tickets, with statistical adjustments made to weed out any nefarious tricksters trying to ruin the process.

An alternative would be to focus exclusively on early primary states where party identification is known (this is the case in three of the current four early-birds with the exception being South Carolina).

Q: How would the cast ballots be turned into a representative sample?

A: The events would be held in diverse locations.  The raw data would be weighted so as to produce a representative sample.  For example, Independents would be separated from Democratic ballots.  Events could be analyzed as stand-alone data sets, as well as cumulatively.

Q: How many of these events would a candidate have to attend in order to have been to them all?

A: 46, though candidates would likely pick a dozen or so to attend in person.

Q: What would the schedule be like?

A: Events on Saturdays and Sundays in May through November (excluding a few dates like the 4th of July and Thanksgiving weekends) in the year prior to the election.

Q: How much would all this cost?

A: If the cost per attendee is about $100, including a $20.24 Savings Bond, dinner, canvassing, and venue, and 1000 attend, that’s $100,000 x 46 events = $4.6 million, well within the budget of a donor eager to encourage actual democracy.

Overview

These Meet, Greet ’n’ Seat events would accomplish several things:

 * Make the Democratic Party more fundamentally democratic.

 * Reward the best candidate in the primaries, rather than the best fundraiser, or the most familiar face.

 * Provide opportunities for local party organizers.

 * Expose independent voters to Democratic Party ideas and leaders.

 * Provide candidates with the interactive experience they need to begin a campaign.
 * Take the initial decision-making away from Iowa and New Hampshire without actually doing so.